@Article{biocell.2021.016121,
AUTHOR = {SAMUELE GRECO, ELISA D’AGOSTINO, CHIARA MANFRIN, ANASTASIA SERENA GAETANO, GAEL FURLANIS, FRANCESCA CAPANNI, GIANFRANCO SANTOVITO, PAOLO EDOMI, PIERO GIULIO GIULIANINI, MARCO GERDOL},
TITLE = {RNA-sequencing indicates high hemocyanin expression as a key strategy for cold adaptation in the Antarctic amphipod <i>Eusirus</i> cf. <i>giganteus</i> clade g3},
JOURNAL = {BIOCELL},
VOLUME = {45},
YEAR = {2021},
NUMBER = {6},
PAGES = {1611--1619},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/biocell/v45n6/44272},
ISSN = {1667-5746},
ABSTRACT = {We here report the de novo transcriptome assembly and functional annotation of <i>Eusirus</i> cf. <i>giganteus</i> clade g3,
providing the first database of expressed sequences from this giant Antarctic amphipod. RNA-sequencing, carried out on
the whole body of a single juvenile individual likely undergoing molting, revealed the dominant expression of
hemocyanins. The mRNAs encoding these oxygen-binding proteins cumulatively accounted for about 40% of the total
transcriptional effort, highlighting the key biological importance of high hemocyanin production in this Antarctic
amphipod species. We speculate that this observation may mirror a strategy previously described in Antarctic
cephalopods, which compensates for the decreased ability to release oxygen to peripheral tissues at sub-zero
temperatures by massively increasing total blood hemocyanin content compared with temperate species. These
preliminary results will undoubtedly require confirmation through proteomic and biochemical analyses aimed at
characterizing the oxygen-binding properties of <i>E.</i> cf. <i>giganteus</i> clade g3 hemocyanins and at investigating whether
other Antarctic arthropod species exploit similar adaptations to cope with the challenges posed by the extreme
conditions of the polar environment.},
DOI = {10.32604/biocell.2021.016121}
}